Overview
- Teams earning automatic quarterfinal entry in the 12‑team College Football Playoff are 1–7 across two seasons, with the latest losses including No. 2 Ohio State to No. 10 Miami and No. 4 Texas Tech to Oregon, while No. 1 Indiana beat Alabama.
- Analysts point to rust from layoffs approaching four weeks as a key factor, highlighted by multiple bye teams opening sluggishly after long breaks.
- A reported first‑quarter trend underscored the issue, with five of six recent bye teams failing to score in the opening period of their quarterfinals.
- Momentum is building for a 16‑team bracket that eliminates byes, a direction favored by the SEC and Big Ten and attractive for a TV product.
- Proposals also include starting the playoff immediately after conference championship weekend to trim layoffs, a shift that would disrupt New Year’s Six timing and the Army–Navy weekend, with observers noting small‑sample caveats and past seeding technicalities involving Boise State and Arizona State.